Racism, My White A$$

As a racially insensitiveWhite Male Oppressor, I'm several steps past fed up with the racism of Barack Obama, his allies and supporters. Even leaving out the infamous Rev Wright, Obama himself and his campaign organization have directly gone to racial nonsense repeatedly. Why, saying anything about his Fannie friend Franklin Raines is racist. Sarah Palin saying anything about Bill Ayers and Obama is apparently racist as well.

Of course, Obama himself can only go so far with stuff like how he doesn't look like those other presidents that the "bitter" rednecks vote for before he'd get that nonsense broke off in his uniter-not-a-divider ass, but of course he has legions of minions happy to make variations of arguments that pretty much the only way Barack could lose is white racism. Shut up already, damn.

There are just thousands of obnoxious window lickers spouting racial "bullshit from the internet," like Ben Fold's girlfriend at the ill-fated Christmas party in the brand new classic, "Bitch Went Nuts.".

Out of all of that, I could call up the most egregious example and use it to make my point, but we have a more typical example right here on Blogcritics from our own Dawn Olsen, who knows her gossip but can wander into left fields of silly when she starts talking politics. In her article "Silent Racism DOES Exist And McCain's Counting On It" she gets the concept exactly, 100% precisely backwards right from the title.

LOUD, OPEN racism exists in this campaign, and Obama is counting on it. This is true in several different directions. He's played the race card how many different times already?

But the bigger point is that Obama is only close to being elected president exactly because he's black. He has not even a vaguely credible resume or any substantial accomplishments. No white man with his flimsy record (much less his dark and unsavory alliances) would ever have been in line to win the nomination.

It's an amorphous thing to try to put numbers to, but it might be that there's 5% of white folks just aren't going to vote for a black guy. But for that, there's probably at least 50% who are particularly anxious to vote for a black man to prove that they're not racists or some such foolishness.

He doesn't even have to be qualified – just try to act like you won't pee on the rug – be clean and articulate, as his running mate might say. But even white folks anxious to do penance might be starting to detect a faint odor of urine from Obama's corner.

And the Bradley or Wilder effect is absolutely NOT a sign of white racism, but merely a response to social pressure. Telling a pollster what you know is the correct social response does not mean that you're a racist. It might just be that you don't want people thinking that you are one.

What it represents is the result of typical intimidating liberal bullshit like this article that looks to come as close as possible to saying that anybody who does not support Obama is a racist. You might nominally say you're not doing that of course, but then in fact pretty much assume it unless they can prove otherwise to your liberal satisfaction.

But actually, Barack Obama in fact specifically personally very much deserves to have race held against him, and hasn't. That's not simply because he's black, but because he's the worst kind of black ghetto demagogue – Jesse Jackson with a Harvard degree. Note that this criticism would not apply to, for example, Colin Powell or Harold Ford Jr.

Obama made his name as a consigliere to an absolutely criminal black gang, ACORN, the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now. This is his famous qualifying career as a "community organizer." They have a long, famous and ongoing history of vote fraud, including new questionable activity here in Indiana, where Indianapolis appears to have more registered than possible eligible voters. The Obama campaign is directly paying ACORN somewhere getting close to a million dollars to conduct these fraudulent activities.

Far worse though, ACORN was instrumental in the cheap racist mau-mauing that forced banks to let them sign people up for a bunch of these bad mortgages (and get commissions) that are the original kernel (or acorn) of the current economic crisis. And they were instrumental in pushing Fannie into their ill behavior to continue enabling their shenanigans, which is the main thing what has really screwed the pooch.

But of course I'm a racist for noticing any of this — as is anyone else who wouldn't just recognize Saint Obama as Allah's gift to America and indeed the Light of the World. I'm feeling that tingling up my leg right now.

Eventually, you pinko window lickers WILL answer to President Palin, and you will pay!

FACT: Sarah and Todd Palin caught Moby Dick while out fishing for salmon. Sarah Palin clubbed him to death like a baby seal, and they lived for two years off the proceeds.

Doggone it Al, there you go again. I hope you feel better now that you’ve gotten that off your chest. It’s good for anal retentive conservatives to rant now and then. It’s good for the bowels. Just look at all the flying shit that’s splattered all over your article.

You rant, you deride, you pontificate, and you reveal yourself as – no not a racist, I wouldn’t dare to suggest that, heaven’s no! – no you reveal your self as a ranting, deriding, pontificating hate monger who hasn’t a clue.

Should Obama lose, this country will be in the crapper in weeks or at best, months. If you believe Johnny, it appears that there isn’t a thing that he doesn’t know how to do. McCain knows how to do every damn thing!

The truth about McCain is that he is a vengeful slimeball who will completely screw the economy, and likely have us in multiple wars everywhere he imagines there’s somebody out to get us. His administration would be an erratic, knee jerk, scatter shot cluster fuck. If the old fart should croak while in office, then we’ll all be some lucky bastards, I tell ya.

Huzzah, President Palin!!! She never knew a moose she didn’t shoot. She’ll put them Ruskies on their goddamn commie heels, you betcha.

B

http://www.morethings.com/log Al Barger

Baritone- I wouldn’t wish ill on President McCain, but Sister Sarah would definitely be way my preferred president of the four, obviously.

And you betcha it feels good to get my crazy on from time to time. But you knew that already.

http://ex-conservative.blogspot.com Glenn Contrarian

“But the bigger point is that Obama is only close to being elected president exactly because he’s black. He has not even a vaguely credible resume or any substantial accomplishments. No white man with his flimsy record (much less his dark and unsavory alliances) would ever have been in line to win the nomination.”

Um, ‘scuse me, but Abraham Lincoln’s record wasn’t much more than Obama’s. And if it’s a resume you demand, Dick Cheney had one of the longest resumes in Washington…and what did it get us? “The Vice President is NOT part of the Executive Branch!”

The problem is that the Democrats send up someone who is so squeaky-clean – still married to his first wife (and a good marriage to all appearances), magna cum laude at Harvard, a professor of Constitutional Law, no arrest record, HONEST about his prior drug use – and all y’all can do is whine, moan, and complain about him and PRAISE your VP candidate who thinks being next-door to Russia makes her an expert on foreign policy.

Also, I bet my vice-president could beat up your president – even on a basketball court. So there!

http://www.roblogpolitics.blogspot.com RJ Elliott

I admire you for your bravery and honesty, Al. (It seems that it takes a brave man to be honest in these times we live in…)

Obama is an empty suit, with zero accomplishments in his less than four years as a US Senator. He had the most left-wing record in the entire US Senate in 2007, even further to the left than Bernie Sanders, an avowed socialist.

What do you call someone who’s further to the left than a socialist? Consider than a rhetorical question…

bliffle

Barger,

Aren’t you even a little embarrassed to try out this innuendo since it’s been so completely debunked?

“Obama made his name as a consigliere to an absolutely criminal black gang, ACORN, the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now.”

http://www.morethings.com/log Al Barger

bliffle- I try to be tolerant even of people who are foolish enough to have opinions different from mine. Everybody gets to have their own opinions.

But you don’t get to have your own facts. ACORN is knee deep in numerous legal investigations and prosecutions, and have been repeatedly over years. That’s fact – not opinion.

This group has been known to have their gangs show up at bank presidents’ houses, and at their kids schools. Fact, not opinion.

ACORN is a highly disreputable organization, and he can’t just say he didn’t know, as he was absolutely on the payroll.

From Seattle, the Seattle Times, a paper that Endorses the Obama Campaign. Do you have ANY idea what it takes to get Dem activists charged in Western Washington on this kind of fraud? It takes them screwing up a LOT.

Arch Conservative

“Should Obama lose, this country will be in the crapper in weeks or at best, months.”

Oh really?

What exactly is going to happen if Obama wins? Will the heavens open up and angels start descending to earth.

You cultists claim you don’t claim he’s the messiah but then make statemnets like that one.

It’s a shame that it’s impossible to choke on kool aid and die because maybe then the rest of us that haven’t been gulping it for the past year wouldn’t have to listen to this horseshit 24-7.

You cultists are right…Obama isn’t a racist…he just hangs out with a bunch of them and does an awfully damn good impression of one.

McCain sucks too but that’s hardly a reason to inspire anyone that gives a damn about this country to vote for the Soros manchurian candidate. the whole system is broken and you idiots insist on perpetuating it every four years. Congratulations..each and every one of you halfwits voting for Obama and McCain deserve every last bit of misfortune and misery that comes into your lives because of something the federal government did or didn’t do.

If it were up to me this whole farce would be settled by a four way ultimate fighting cage match between McCain, Obama, Biden, and Todd Palin. The winner gets to be president. Only the winner would be Todd Palin and since he’s not a power hungry narcissistic scumbag like the other three he’d probably appoint someone to be president who was a complete shill for the globalist whores that control the Dem and Rep parties.

Arch Conservative

That should be wasn’t.

It’s sometimes hard to think straight when confronted by such idiocy as

“Should Obama lose, this country will be in the crapper in weeks or at best, months.”

so early in the morning.

I have no idea wether or not you’re black Baritone but I’m sure that if you are I will be called a racist soon by you politically correct race baiting fuckwits.

http://blogs.epicindia.com/leapinthedark Richard Marcus

Geez

I don’t what everybody is getting so hot under the collar about these ACORN dudes – Voter fraud and the Democratic Party have a long and illustrious history -Tameny Hall (spelling might be off sorry) mean anything to anybody. And if I remember my history correctly wasn’t it some Dixiecrats who tried to prevent black people from registering for the vote in the first place (now that’s voter fraud in the first degree)

Of course let’s be fair – the Republican party haven’t been anybody’s patsy’s when it comes to manipulating the final tallies in elections – Florida 2000 and hanging chads ring any bells for anybody? (Of course it did prevent Tipper Gore from becoming first lady and I’d hate to think what would be on the cover of CD’s if she ever had that authority. Doesn’t anybody else remember that dumb (very impolite word of your own choosing here) leading the public decency march against explicit lyrics in the 1980’s and Frank Zappa testifying before Congress?)

Of course in Canada we had thousands of poor people mysteriously left off the voters list one year, and now we’ve implemented draconian legislation which means you have to be able to produce identification along with your voter’s card in order to vote. Never used to have to, but in order to prevent all those people from voting twice out there who want to (it would be a freaking miracle if most people even voted once) the government decided to make it harder for people to vote at all. It now means unless you have the money to fork out $100.00 or so bucks for “official ” photo ID you’re going to have a bitch of a time voting in federal elections -if that’s not voter fraud I don’t know what is.

Of course every single damned politician commits voter fraud every time they open their mouth and say vote for me because I’m the best candidate available.. Our election in Canada is Tuesday the 14th – any result that sees any of the current crop forming a government would constitute voter fraud as far as I’m concerned – anyone who wants power as much as any of these folk do is going to be fraudulent just as a matter of course.

Thanks Al… you always encourage me to get my own in… but than again, I’m a beady eyed Canadian with my head full of lies, so what do I know from nothing.

Les Slater

Al seems more than a little frustrated. He sounds like the flip of some liberals who blame everything on Bush and Cheney or those that thought Bush being elected would be the end of the world.

Both Republican and Democratic administrations are responsible for the current economic mess and a McCain or an Obama getting elected will not make any fundamental difference.

McCain being slow will not hinder the operation of the government; just look at how things got along when Regan was deep into senility.

troll

…those that thought Bush being elected would be the end of the world.

in fairness – Bush and his wars have been quite literally the end of the world for numerous thousands

and you can betcha both Mac and Obummer will follow suit

bliffle

Cannon,

I looked at a couple of the anti-ACORN screeds you cited, none of which had any EVIDENCE, just repetition of the rightist anti-ACORN meme.

I found this:

“Uptick wrote:
There’s stupidity and then there is real fraud. If you register yourself 1000 times you can still only vote once. This is nonsense and white noise to cover up the real problem. The real fraud is Voter Suppression and that should be the Medias focus.

“Voter Caging”, “Purging Lists”, “Provisional Ballots”, “Rigged Voting Machines” and “Corrupt Officials” are the real problem. If you’re not familiar with these real issues and the millions of legitimate votes not counted in past elections and possibly in the next, you might want to start by reading Greg Palast book Armed Madhouse or visiting his website or just Google any of the descriptions above.”

That’s what we discovered when we reviewed the Nevada investigation of ACORN: the State throws out bad registrations, the canvassers MUST turn in all the registrations they get.

Seems reasonable.

http://www.republicofdave.com DaveNalle

Again, bliffle. You miss the basic point. The purpose of the mass fraudulent registrations is to overload the registration review process so that it breaks down and so that instant same-day registration is implemented and impossible to verify so that voters can vote over and over again without being caught.

Dave

http://ruvysroost.blogspot.com Ruvy

“Should Obama lose, this country will be in the crapper in weeks or at best, months.”

Three months? That’s next April, folks. America’s already in the crapper, and has been for a while. It’s just that it’s taken a while for you Yanks to finally wake up and figure it out.

Your government is broke, and if someone did an honest balance sheet on a whole bunch of you, you’d find out that most of you were, too.

That’s not said with Schadenfreude. I’m broke. My son’s friend’s father lost NIS 50,000 on investments in the last few days. They may not be broke, but they’re not happy campers.

[Wait just a minute while I wipe the shit off of me from the economic débâcle your economy has managed to produce – thanks]

Look, guys. I’ve been warning you for almost three years that the various bubbles of unreality you’ve been living in were going to burst. And they are bursting. And they will keep bursting. The world is on the verge of a huge change. So strap on your seat belts and pray. It’s going to be one hell of a bumpy ride.

bliffle

Cannon,

Reading some more of your citations it becomes apparent that those editorials go around in circles quoting one another.

That guy Kurtz seems to always crop up and he never has solid citations. He just cites other opinionists.

Try to find better sources for your opinions. As it is it looks like you’re immersed in an echo chamber.

http://www.EurocriticsMagazine.com Christopher Rose

Ruvy, all your apocalyptic nonsense is exactly that, self serving nonsense that you are pimping cos it fits in with the rest of your world view.

The world is not going to end, the financial markets will recover as they have in the past, there isn’t going to be a war and your fictitious lord isn’t going to turn up and wreak havoc.

http://www.EurocriticsMagazine.com Christopher Rose

The bitter rednecks? Is that a band?

Now what would the line-up be?

http://blogcritics.org/writer/dan_miller Dan(Miller)

Al, you forgot to include this “rant.” It comes from that rag The Washington Times, along with a link to this video

Dan(Miller)

http://www.futonreport.net/ Matthew T. Sussman

“McCain being slow will not hinder the operation of the government; just look at how things got along when Regan was deep into senility.”

I’m convinced. Zombie Reagan ’08!

Les Slater

Matt,

And currently there is no effectively operating president.

Les

Lisa Solod Warren

Oh, Al, you old curmudgeon.

The way I see it you have two choices:

1. You can follow Palin around and like the great unwashed masses that attend her rallies you can get your anger out by yelling “terrorist” and “kill him” and “Osama/Obama” and any number of other epithets, and hope you get a chance to lick her boots once in a while

OR

2. You can visit your doctor, ask him to give you something to put you out for 3 1/2 weeks and when you wake up it will all be over.

Clavos

…ask him to give you something to put you out for 3 1/2 weeks and when you wake up it will all be over. (emphasis added)

If Obama wins, it sure will be…

http://www.indyboomer46.blogspot.com Baritone

I’ve seen most of the anti-ACORN links, and I agree that they are circular, essentially making unsubstantiated charges and quoting each other.

The terrible sin that ACORN committed was advocating for minority and other less advantaged people to have a shot at purchasing a home. ACORN representatives were not present nor instrumental in creating the mess caused by predatory lending practices.

So called “no doc” loans were initiated several years ago mainly targeting the upper echelon of home buyers – people who had squeaky clean credit histories, solid job histories and income levels. Even that was a bad idea – discriminatory and presumptive at best. But the great minds among lenders decided to lower the bar to make poorly documented loans to people with lesser credit, job and income records. It was the lending industry’s decision to make 100% even 125% loan to value ratio loans.

You all want to blame the likes of ACORN and congressional Democrats for what happened. The fact is though, that these lenders would not have proceeded if they hadn’t believed that they would make money on these loans – big money, most of it up front.

The lenders knew that if they offered mortgage loans to lower income people that if they fashioned adjustable rate mortgages, they could have a high success rate in enticing them to buy beyond their means. Second, they also knew that the great majority of these loans would be packaged and sold in the secondary market long before they began to default.

The same held true for most mortgage brokers, who saw a means to making a quick buck. All they had to do was get the deal to the closing table. They walk out with their check in hand not giving a rats ass that many of these loans were likely to go sour when the interest rates and, consequently, the payments began to climb.

ACORN has become the right wing scape goat. You all seem to manage hanging about every bad thing that’s happened in the world on their shoulders including Rob Schneider, and then, by association, onto Obama’s. It’s all bullshit! The fact is that ACORN has done a lot of good for their constituents over the years, and Obama was a part of that effort. I won’t claim that ACORN has been squeaky clean. They do need to clean up their act in certain quarters. But it is NOT the evil, demonic organization that you all choose to believe.

“What exactly is going to happen if Obama wins? Will the heavens open up and angels start descending to earth.”

No. But the country will NOT fall into the crapper. That’s the difference: McCain = crapper.
Obama Not = crapper. Quite simple actually. (Sorry, I don’t know how to access unicode symbols and not sure if they would work here in any case.)

McCain cannot be trusted with his itchy, reactionary finger on the atomic button. Palin can’t be trusted with, well, much of anything. I’m sure she could make some pretty dazzling snow angels on the White House lawn, but anything beyond that is just scary.

B

http://drdreadful.blogspot.com Dr Dreadful

“FACT: Sarah and Todd Palin caught Moby Dick while out fishing for salmon. Sarah Palin clubbed him to death like a baby seal, and they lived for two years off the proceeds.”

Al, may I remind you of the warning on the label that says to consult your doctor if your erection lasts for more than 3 months.

http://www.idiotwars.com Dave Nalle

I see no rational argument for the McCain=doom while Obama=salvation meme. It just doesn’t stand up.

Obama has no qualifications or experience and he’s a marxist who will destroy the economy by raising taxes massively to try to equalize income. His advisers are tainted by association with the worst criminals in the banking industry or else they are marxist ideologues who welcome the destruction of the economy.

McCain will at worst bring in competent advisers and steer a moderate course which won’t make things substantially worse and might keep us going until the economy recovers naturally. He may be old and a bit of a waffler, but he is clearly dedicated to doing the best he can for the country and NOT destroying the economy to create a socialist paradise.

I’d say the meme that the left is promoting is exactly backwards.

Dave

http://drdreadful.blogspot.com Dr Dreadful

I see no rational argument for the McCain=doom while Obama=salvation meme.

Well, you wouldn’t, would you. That’s why you’re not going to be voting for him.

As for the rest of your comment, I don’t think there’s a single word or sentiment of it that I haven’t heard on a McCain attack ad already.

http://www.morethings.com/log Al Barger

Arch [comment 16] sez: If it were up to me this whole farce would be settled by a four way ultimate fighting cage match between McCain, Obama, Biden, and Todd Palin. Why TODD Palin? Sarah could take them on her own. McCain in his young prime, would have been tough, but the moose slayer could definitely take either Obama or Biden’s candy ass.

http://www.morethings.com/log Al Barger

Dr Dreadful- I thought that if the erection lasted longer than three months, I was supposed to call in more hookers.

Les Slater

“…but the moose slayer…”

I lived in Alaska for 14 months and let me tell you that slaying a moose is no great feat.

Clavos

No. But the country will NOT fall into the crapper…Obama Not = crapper

At this point, that is nothing but wishful thinking; you have no way of knowing how his reign will turn out.

Sure, he’s a glib, smooth talker who says all the right things (or at least all the right things that Democrats and liberals want to hear-he says NO right things for me), but so does any decent conman (disclaimer – I am NOT saying he’s a con man – I’ll reserve that judgment until after I’ve seen his actual actions once he ascends to the throne); talk is cheap, even smooth talk.

http://www.EurocriticsMagazine.com Christopher Rose

“he’s a marxist who will destroy the economy by raising taxes massively to try to equalize income”

Dave, I bet you $100 he doesn’t do that. Will you take the bet?

Les Slater

Obama and McCain have different philosophies but that shouldn’t make too much difference in what actually happens in the next couple of years.

After all, who would of thought that the banks would be, at least partially, nationalized under Bush?

http://blogcritics.org/writer/will_brennan Will Brennan

Nothing like losing in the pools to bring out the
hysterical hissy fit in conservatives. Obama was editor of the Harvard Law Review, which demonstrates a person of the highest intellect, reasoning, insight and promise. Obama’s track record might not be long, but he’s as qualified as John Kennedy was. We elect presidents on their potential, anyway. Nobody’s prepared for the job.
Obama will surround himself with the best minds and most experienced people, then he will do that very radical thing – he will lead.

It’s just sad that there has to be this kind of inflamatory talk that goes into the sewer, hateful rather than helpful dialogue.
But, that’s what gets attention, so I’m sure it will continue.

bliffle

Baritones analysis in #32 is correct. Lenders saw a way to game the system and they took it. Lenders realized that they could clear a bunch of bad loans and shift the risk to the secondary market as aggregated bonds. Meanwhile, they would pocket the upfront fees and commissions and walk away with cash. The appraisers were remiss in improperly valuing the bonds, but they had no basis to downgrade Mortgage Backed Securities until they started to fail.

Basically, lenders liquidated their blue-sky, their goodwill.

Blaming this fiasco on borrowers is egregious scapegoating.

http://www.indyboomer46.blogspot.com Baritone

Clav,

Dave’s prognostications carry no more weight than do mine. I know it’s all bullshit, but that’s what politics is all about, no?

I do honestly believe that McCain is from the same mold as Bush as regards his propensity to shoot first, and from the hip. All the hard assed ra ra “my country right or wrong” folks think that to be a virture. Since such actions could bring about great harm and destruction on us, that is an important factor to me as it should be for all. McCain tends to be vengeful and reactionary.

Hey, and what about HIS former associations? Did he not spend several years in close and intense proximity to avowed communists? In point of fact, mightn’t McCain actually be the real Manchurian Candidate? Who knows what seeds were planted in his sub-conscious during his tenure at the Hanoi Hilton? Why, Super John just might be a ticking time bomb ready to discharge at first hearing “Good morning, Mr. President.”

ACORN did much more than register voters in low-income neighborhoods. They acquired and renovated distressed homes in low-income neighborhoods. They also initiated new construction, ala Habitat For Humanity, for low-income occupancy. Pursuant to those efforts they organized funding and political support by forming alliances with community banking and government bodies. Generally, banks and lenders were glad to have these sales opportunities brought to them.

One can argue that ACORNs efforts revolved around strengthening urban communities by improving the lot of low income citizens and integrating them into civic life, thus improving the situation for both the community and the families.

I spent a lot of time last week researching ACORN to form my opinion of them. On the other hand, most of the people on BC who are so loudly critical of ACORN seem not to have gone to basic sources, but, rather, to have accepted the opinions of various shrill rightist editorialists, such as Kurtz, whose sources are unfathomable.

Wow. You are really something. I am a white 30 year old woman from Arkansas and I point to RACISM as well. Believe me, I know racism when I see it. Look around you. Listen to the people at The McCain-Palin Anti Obama rallies in which people call him an “Arab”, “a terrorist”, and yell “Off with his head” and “Kill him”. Obama himself has barely said anything about the disgusting display of racism. You sound like a crazy person. You should really try something else besides writing articles because you aren’t very good at it.

PS. Stop watching Fox. It will rot your brain.

Marlowe

Al… THANK YOU SO MUCH! For taking the time to summarize all of the bigoted White fears in one rant! No doubt you’re being hailed in many a back wood redoubt in northern Idaho even as I write this!

It is fascinating to watch (esp) older White Males run about in absolute TERROR that a man, HALF WHITE and HALF BLACK might actually occupy 1600 Pen.

It is the same hysterical fear they showed at the signing of the 1964 Civil Rights Act…

At the Montgomery Bus Boycott, and after that the Selma March…

At the USSC decision on Brown v. Board of Education…

At Appomattox in 1865…

At the realization in the late 17th Century that because it was always assumed that no Christian could enslave another human being… Somehow, in some way the White plantation owners were going to have to SHOW that Blacks were not actually QUITE human…

The only time you’ve cheered Al, along with your “White” brethren, is at lynchings… At Plessy v ferguson, at nailing up WHITES ONLY signs over water fountains…

Save yourself the time and frustration Al: admit you’re racist. It’ll do your old heart good.

Marlowe

wdufkin

I wonder what Washington would look like if there were no “get out the vote” organizations and only those who were intelligent enough to register themselves, without encouragement from an organizations with obvious agendas, actually voted!?

Dave seems to have no idea whatsoever what a Marxist is. He also has no clue as to what capitalism is. He never held any significant position in any significant corporation in the U.S. nor did he ever have to make executive decisions at any significant level of productive capital.

Dave’s real bogeyman seems to be John Maynard Keynes. He follows his idol Milton Friedman, and more fundamentally, Friedrich von Hayek.

Hayek believed that following Keynes’ policies would lead to greater state power and socialism. The problem with that is that state power does not lead to socialism. Great and centralized state powers, or not, the capitalists’ still own the means of production. Socialism, at least Marxian socialism, requires the overthrowing of the capitalist class by revolutionary means, led by the working class.

As for Keynes’ view on Marxism, “How can I accept the [Communist] doctrine, which sets up as its bible, above and beyond criticism, an obsolete textbook which I know not only to be scientifically erroneous but without interest or application to the modern world? How can I adopt a creed which, preferring the mud to the fish, exalts the boorish proletariat above the bourgeoisie and the intelligentsia, who with all their faults, are the quality of life and surely carry the seeds of all human achievement? Even if we need a religion, how can we find it in the turbid rubbish of the red bookshop? It is hard for an educated, decent, intelligent son of Western Europe to find his ideals here, unless he has first suffered some strange and horrid process of conversion which has changed all his values.”

http://www.EurocriticsMagazine.com Christopher Rose

The scariest thing about the story Dan(Miller) links to is the poll. Apparently the vast majority support the incredibly outrageous idea that people with criminal records shouldn’t be allowed to vote. How oppressive is that?

Should felons be allowed to vote?

No, they gave up their rights when they decided to become criminals. (6753 responses) 75.2%

Yes, but only on a case-by-case basis. (483, 5.4%)

Yes, if they’ve finished their sentences. (1419 15.8%)

They should never lose their voting rights. (326 3.6%).

I’m actually appalled. Well done you freedom lovers!

Clavos

I’m with the 75%.

Why should someone who has deliberately contravened the law and perpetrated some form of damage or injury to either the state and/or to individuals be allowed to have ANY rights – much less the right to vote?

Les Slater

Chris,

I concur with your sentiments wholeheartedly.

Les

troll

…only landed white men should be allowed to vote – the way that the founding fathers intended

http://drdreadful.blogspot.com Dr Dreadful

Al @ #37:

To avoid prosecution (or moving to Nevada), your doctor will have to prescribe them first.

http://drdreadful.blogspot.com Dr Dreadful

Clav @ #55:

Removing a felon’s right to vote while they’re serving their sentence is understandable; removing that right permanently is not.

Once a person has finished paying their debt to society, why should they not be allowed to resume the full benefits of citizenship?

I’d say it falls under the heading of ‘cruel and unusual punishment’.

And yes, I know the laws vary by state.

http://www.morethings.com/log Al Barger

Rand forgive me, but I’m going to have to go with Chris Rose here on ex-felons voting. It’s reasonable as part of their punishment not to let them vote while incarcerated. But not ever being able to vote again is pretty much marking you forever as outside the system, with no stake. If I don’t get to vote, then I will certainly feel little responsibility to obey the laws that come from the voting.

If you’ve done something to put you in the time-out box for five years, then come five years you’ve done your time.

http://www.EurocriticsMagazine.com Christopher Rose

I don’t even see why people shouldn’t be allowed to vote whilst in prison.

Punishing someone is one thing but removing their right to vote? It sounds like something more likely to occur in the world’s most repressive countries not the land of the free.

http://www.morethings.com/log Al Barger

But you’re not SUPPOSED to be free while you’re a convict in prison.

http://www.maskedmoviesnobs.com El Bicho

“It’s sometimes hard to think straight when confronted by such idiocy”

stay away from the mirror when posting, Arch.

“Of course let’s be fair”

Richard, that kind of thinking isn’t allowed in BC politics. It’s only one side that is evil and going to ruin the country with their tactics and future plans.

http://blogcritics.org/writer/dan_miller Dan(Miller)

Whether felons or ex-felons should be allowed to vote is one question. Whether the laws should be enforced or changed is another. There are many possible answers, some of them reasonable. Unfortunately, it seems quite unlikely that any solution will be attempted, much less implemented, prior to 4 November.

The most substantial problem, as I see it, is that whoever wins the election there will be a field day for lawyers and the legitimacy of the election results will be much disputed, perhaps reasonably so. It will probably be a big mess, hardly conductive to the sort of healing which the country needs.

Dan(Miller)

http://www.glosslip.com Dawn

Thanks for the shout out Al. You and Caribou Barbie are so ghetto.

http://blogcritics.org/writer/dan_miller Dan(Miller)

Re comment #52,

Don’t worry. It will soon be over and we can all be happy and love one another, with peace and understanding; a veritable rainbow of divergent views will shine upon us.

Dan(Miller)

http://www.morethings.com/log Al Barger

Thank you, Miss Dawn. You’re a fine gal and a gracious hostess, even if you insist on voting for a danged commie. I dig your Mom, too.

Jordan Richardson

If there’s anything the American people are known for, it’s tolerance of other views.

Jordan Richardson

Oh, and peaceful discourse. (To his credit, McCain at least had the temerity to “look stunned” for a moment).

http://blogcritics.org/writer/dan_miller Dan(Miller)

Jordan,

Yep. My point exactly. And it’s probably going to get worse.

Dan(Miller)

zingzing

after having viewed some youtube footage of you idiot republicans lining up to have your asses wiped, i have come to a verifiable conclusion:

republicans are dumb redneck racist assholes who are really, really sad that this election isn’t going their way, so they’re throwing a fucking hissy-fit and it’s getting really childish and annoying and i hate them.

therefore, i say this:

republicans, like you, clavos, and you, dave and archie and al and dave and every one of you fucking children, just give up. it’s over. you lost. obama isn’t a racist, a marxist (that’s laughable), a criminal or a terrorist. you know it, we all know it. no matter how many times you say it, it doesn’t make it true. so fuck off.

god, i am sick of you.

(that’s my little impersonation of this article.)

thank you. my ass is cleared of all this filthy shit.

http://drdreadful.blogspot.com Dr Dreadful

(that’s my little impersonation of this article.)

So how come it bears a striking resemblance to your own customary rhetorical style, zing?

zingzing

because it comes from me.

mr. smarty pants.

plus i was just trying to cover up my own frustration with a weak attempt at satire. you caught me.

doesn’t excuse you being a prick about it.

kisses.

zingzing

(and it’s only my “customary rhetorical style” part of the time. i am usually, you must admit, at least halfway coherent and/or logical in my arguments. but i’m just tired of republican whining right now. and i’m hung over.)

http://drdreadful.blogspot.com Dr Dreadful

True. If you were 30 years older, though, I’d be calling you the Victor Meldrew of Blogcritics. (If your sojourn in the UK coincided with that piece of TV history, you’ll know what I mean!)

zing, believe it or not, I meant that as a backhanded compliment. It was a reference as much to the fact that Meldrew refused to take any crap as to his penchant for vitriolic invective.

Heloise

I just found out that Obama (2008-hybrid) and Heloise both drive the Ford Escape. But I’ve been knowing that McCain simply drives….everybody crazy.

Or how about this one I just thought of: McCain’s personality is so split up that he can drive all 13 of his cars at once! So that he doesn’t have to make up his mind which one to drive.

The gods invented laughter, but McCain invented confusion.

Heloise

Shark

Jeezus. Nothing has changed — except the dim-witted demagogues that you asswipes are drooling over.

It transformed from limply trying to justify Bush/Cheney — (hey, they left a nice legacy with foreign policy and the economy, eh, folks?!) …to limply trying to justify McNutt-case and that Corpse Bride from Alaska as they whip up the Nuremberg Crowd and try to simulate a National Socialist get-together in 1933 Berlin. “A free Manlicher-Carcano to every new McCain Voter registered!”)

But with all the changes to the planet, it is NICE to see the lunatic fringe still doing a self-negating circle jerk (stroke those only to your right) here on BC after all these years — and Barger is still playing his redneck, picked-on, “i’m really a minority” — and “some of my best friends are…”

zzzzzzzzzz

Anyway, the schtick is still the same; he’s stolen a few techniques and even a few epithets from the ol’ Shark — figuring I was too busy elsewhere to notice his monumental UNORIGINALITY and his “borrowing” continues.

Look, kids, pull the eye sockets closed on your cute pointy white “hats” and take a long nap for the next 8 years, cuz McPuppet and his little Marketing Doll are going to be in the “where are they now” category in 3 weeks… and a BLACK MAN will be your President.

AHAHAHAHAHA!

And c’mon Al, just admit it: to a frustrated backwoods emo-redneck virgin like yourself — you only dig Palin cuz you think she’s sexy.

[brrrrrrr… a gigantic shudder buzzes thru the spine of any reader with a sexual history that DOESN’T include fantasies about raping school marms on the steps of the Mormon Tabernacle]

Anyway, I won’t be around for more than 20 seconds (life, etc. y’know) so I really don’t want to ‘debate’ you right-wing blowhards about ANY of this; I just have to lean on two words — and then we’re done.

LAND.

SLIDE.

~next!

heh.

xxoo
shark

PS: Is Dave “Vox Populi” Nalle still creating alternative names and complimenting his own debate points?

Or has he developed a smidgen of self-awareness and realized that to put a shotgun in his mouth and pull the trigger is much more dignified than spending 20 hours a day sitting at a computer debating himself in some back alley off the internet highway — while his wife has an affair with a dog-catcher from Austin and his kids plot to kill him in his sleep because they caught him having sex with Ron Paul and can’t live with the humiliation?

[Shark mumbles: “please dear god, please god, please god…]

zingzing

damn, shark, that was mean.

http://www.maskedmoviesnobs.com El Bicho

thanks for the chuckle. glad to see those pearly whites again as the “scarlet billows start to spread.” You’ve been missed.

http://www.indyboomer46.blogspot.com Baritone

I think Dave has escaped Texas and moved to Oregon to live on a farm commune where he will be an anonymous equal among equals, only a little more equal than the others.

B

http://drdreadful.blogspot.com Dr Dreadful

Mean, zing, yes, but delicious.

Admit you loved it.

Marlowe

Oregon won’t have Dave… UNLESS we stick him way the HELL over in Lakeview… a million miles from nowhere and only a dial up connection. Once a year we’ll let him come to Portland to shop…

Marlowe

troll

Shark…good to see that you are still engaged in mundane acts (life, etc. y’know)

…thought you might have gone celestial on us

zingzing

of course i liked it. dave’s been pissing me off a bunch lately. but still. i wouldn’t wish suicide and patricide and ron paul upon anyone.

http://blogcritics.org/writer/dan_miller Dan(Miller)

Voter registration fraud? What voter registration fraud. It’s all just a ploy by the Vast Right Wing Conspiracy, including CNN. Dear me. How could CNN sink so low as to credit these specious allegations?

Dan(Miller)

http://ruvysroost.blogspot.com Ruvy

Nice to see you back, Shark – even if it was juat for one itty bitty comment. Aside from you less than kind wishes for Dave Nalle, I don’t really have any disagreements – or agreements.

But I’m looking forward to filing your teeth again on other issues….

I hope you are feeling better….

moon

Hmmmph!

ACORN doesn’t even exist.

bliffle

Voter influence (and fraud), of both left and right, revolves around voter turnout, which generally favors dems if it increases, and favors reps if it decreases.

So you would expect that dems would err on the side of getting too many to vote, and reps would err on the side of getting too few.

That’s why ACORN happily passes ALL registrations along to the state, and reps try to discourage people from registering and/or voting.

Dan

Yes, we’re all happy that Shark has recovered his mental faculty, even if it’s only to favor us with his ego-centric delusions, (Barger’s stealing my shit!), and anti-climactic scroll abuse schtick.

“So you would expect that dems would err on the side of getting too many to vote”

Except when they’re trying to steal an election in Florida, and argue against counting actual military ballots.

“and reps try to discourage people from registering and/or voting.”

Mostly just illegals, and frequent voters, and people who whore their vote for smokes.

Jordan Richardson

and frequent voters

??

Clavos

“Vote early and vote often.”

Richard J. “Boss” Daley, Mayor of Chicago, 1955-1976

Democrat

Heloise

Republican steady-state: “Black people are angry’ and why is that exactly? Sean says it it because of communist leftist groups like ACORN. They made us mad at America! Hmmm, didn’t think America needed any help. When you think of it, if that were true then blacks who were descended from slaves would have all turned into “Nat Turners” but that did not happen. He was truly the token N$O)U in his own neighborhood.

He had a few blacks who had his back but in the end was lynched like so many others to follow until FDR and 1937 came along and lynching was outlawed. Only one southern white politician (Texas Maury) voted in favor of the bill.

Few have stood up but many have fallen for the mob mentality that blacks were inferior and 3/5th a person or was it 2/5th? They called King a communist. McCain voted against King holiday. Arizona was the home of the rabid Goldwater crap.

McCain reminds me of Goldwater not Bull Conner.

Anyway just read that Christopher Buckley resigned from his father’s business because he endorsed Obama. See, one man stands up others will follow.

Heloise

Dan

It’s hard to have much sympathy for Nat Turner. He along with “a few blacks who had his back” butchered about 60 whites including children and infants in their sleep.

Lynching, an equal opportunity form of frontier justice, was never formally outlawed federally. Certainly not by FDR. Although Eleanor lent her support to a bill sponsored by the NAACP that passed the house but was defeated by Democrats in the Senate.

Lynching simply withered away as official law and order became more established. Congress enacted a section of the 1968 Civil Rights Law that established some federal protections against lynching.

Free states didn’t want slaves counted at all for Congressional representation purposes, but wanted them counted for tax purposes. Slave states didn’t want them counted as tax liabilities but did want them counted for representation. 3/5ths was the compromise. Free blacks, some who owned slaves, were always counted as 1.

MLK certainly seems to have had a lot of communist affiliations, but the FBI files are sealed. Hiding evidence is usually a clue.

zingzing

“people who whore their vote for smokes.”

that would be north carolina republicans.

http://www.republicofdave.com DaveNalle

McCain reminds me of Goldwater

If only that compliment had more of a basis in fact we’d actually have some real hope for the future.

Dave

http://www.glosslip.com Dawn

Shark sure lives up to his name, but it would be unfair to not mention that there are far worse conservatives here at BC than Dave Nalle. Say what you want about conservatives (no really, say what you want) having spent time with Dave, he’s not nearly as aggro as he seems.

Sadly, he is the exception to the rule.

Poor misguided, but good-intentioned Dave, may he find wisdom some day.

Zedd

Wall Street Journal 10/13/03
“U.S. Senator John McCain’s recent attacks on the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN), are puzzling given his historic support for the organization and its efforts on behalf of immigrant Americans. As recently as February 20, 2006, Senator McCain was the keynote speaker at an ACORN-sponsored Immigration Rally in Miami, Florida at Miami Dade College – Wolfson Campus.”

http://blogcritics.org/writer/dan_miller Dan(Miller)

Zedd,

Please correct me if I don’t understand. I had no idea that ACORN was trying to register Mickey Mouse, dead people and the same people multiple times back in February of 2006. If ACORN was, your cite is right on point. I perhaps had the wrong idea, that ACORN’s spam-type attacks on the electoral process were more recent.

Dan(Miller)

Zedd

Shark. The legend lives!

– An unabashed groupie.

http://www.morethings.com/log Al Barger

McCain speaking at an ACORN sponsored event is typical McCain bi-partisan foolishness, and he certainly deserves some mockery for it – but of course that’s not like working for them and advocating for them, and then hiring them and giving them most of a million dollars to do absolute electoral fraud – get Obama in by hook or by crook. There can be little reasonable doubt that this is what’s going on with this organization all over the nation.

Pablo

Tell me Al, do you ever get tired of being Al?

Just curious.

Pablo

Bliffle Re post 92

Excellent post.

Cindy D

RE #27

Dan,

The Washington Times is no rag. It’s much worse than that. It’s founder and owner is “Not a real Reverend” Sun Myung Moon of the Unification Church Cult.

In 2002, during the 20th anniversary party for the Times, Moon said, “The Washington Times will become the instrument in spreading the truth about God to the world.” (Wikepedia see: The Washington Times)

Mark Hyman, the author of your Washington Times article is a VP at Sinclair Broadcasting, which tried to force its 62 stations to interrupt their regularly scheduled programming to air anti-Kerry propaganda in order to influence the 2004 election (1).

He is also the host of Sinclair Broadcasting’s right-wing The Point and is known for supporting the books and discredited views of Jerome Corsi. (2)

Corsi is the co-author of the Swift Boat Vets attack book. It is the Washington Times article you cite above that I believe is an attempt by Hyman to support another piece of refuse by Corsi entitled Obama Nation, about which factcheck.org [in Corsi’s Dull Hatchet said:

In addition to attempts to usurp influence over elections, Sinclair Broadcasting was investigated by the FCC for airing undisclosed Video News Releases (VNRs), which are basically infomercials or “Fake News”. By failing to disclose that these are paid for ads designed by PR firms, a news station allows these to run as if they are legitimate news stories.

The Bush Admin is famous for making VNRs (3). Sinclair is famous for presenting them as if they are news reports.

Some favorite quotes of Jerome Corsi (4):

* Corsi on Islam: “a worthless, dangerous Satanic religion”

* Corsi on Catholicism: “Boy buggering in both Islam and Catholicism is okay with the Pope as long as it isn’t reported by the liberal press”

* Corsi on Muslims: “RAGHEADS are Boy-Bumpers as clearly as they are Women-Haters — it all goes together”

* Corsi on “John F*ing Commie Kerry”: “After he married TerRAHsa, didn’t John Kerry begin practicing Judiasm? He also has paternal grandparents that were Jewish. What religion is John Kerry?”

Al, I had a run in with two Obama workers last week in Harvard Square. I watched for 10 minutes as they approached a multitude of folks on the street asking for support for their leader. In that time several people were approached, not one of them were a white male. I intentionally walked by them twice, slowly, deliberately. I wanted to be approached and was not. So, I confronted them making clear my own observations. The bottom line is that Obama workers in Harvard Square intentionally ignored white males. Were they acting on their own, or were they acting at the direction of officials of the Massachusetts State Democratic Committee? I took the time to call the State Committee headquarters and registered my complaint.

My whole point is quite simple. There’s a race problem in this country. We don’t talk about it, but it festers under the surface waiting for an opportunity to strike. The MSM does a great disservice to us by not confronting this issue head on. Whoopi Goldberg talks about it and approaches it from a pragmatic point of view (pardon the pun) that makes sense. We all need to talk about it and deal with it once and for all if we are to rise above it. My biggest fear is that Barack Obama’s ascension to the Oval Throne shall throw race relations back 100 years. If he fails in his Administration at any step of the way, it will be a race issue – not political. If he were to die in office, it will be a race issue. If anyone in Congress tries to challenge him, it will be a race issue. Barack Obama may rise above race but the rest of America may not be ready. We need to talk about that — NOW!

http://blogcritics.org/writer/dan_miller Dan(Miller)

Cindy,

I suppose there is a big difference between cults and religions. At least so I have been told. Still, I am not overly fond of either.

The ReverendMr. Moon, although a now eighty-eight year old Korean and an anti-communist, is not one of my favorites. Nevertheless, back when I lived in the D.C. area a dozen years ago, The Washington Times was a decent newspaper. Of course, that is my subjective judgment. The Washington Post and the New York Times are, obviously entirely objective, fair and balanced. On the other hand . . . .

Dan(Miller)

http://www.maskedmoviesnobs.com El Bicho

“I suppose there is a big difference between cults and religions.”

Only one, the number of people who follow it.

bliffle

Dan Miller(#102) attempts obtuseness:

I had no idea that ACORN was trying to register Mickey Mouse, dead people and the same people multiple times back in February of 2006. If ACORN was, your cite is right on point. I perhaps had the wrong idea, that ACORN’s spam-type attacks on the electoral process were more recent.

ACORN is required by law to pass forward any attempted registrations presented to it by individual canvassers. The state then applies their verification checks to the registrations.

To aid in ferreting out fraudulent canvassers ACORN maintains a database of submissions, on it’s own volition.

If ACORN were to selectively purge Mr. Mouse from the registrations on it’s own initiative, THEN it would be subject to prosecution. And rightly so: it is not within ACORNs prerogative to reject anyone. Even if Mr. Mouse looks like a parody of a comic book character.

AFAIK, ACORN simply tries to register voters that may have been overlooked previously. What’s wrong with that?

Dan Miller is flirting with joining the crazy rightists who are trying to parlay the anti-ACORN myth into an attack on the upcoming election, which Obama appears to be winning.

It’s a dangerous gamble that threatens Dans credibility. Don’t do it, Dan, you’ll end up in the same box with Dave.

Clavos

Cindy @#107,

As you lecture Dan(Miller) on the broadcast industry and the FCC, you might want to keep in mind that he spent 30 years as an attorney representing broadcast clients in their dealings with the FCC.

However, I have no idea how successful he was, as later, his life went into a steep decline when he became a liveaboard cruising ragbagger.

http://blogcritics.org/writer/dan_miller Dan(Miller)

Clav,

And boy am I glad that I became a liveaboard cruising ragbagger, and that I now live in the beautiful highlands of Panama.

Cindy,

You state

In addition to attempts to usurp influence over elections, Sinclair Broadcasting was investigated by the FCC for airing undisclosed Video News Releases (VNRs), which are basically infomercials or “Fake News”. By failing to disclose that these are paid for ads designed by PR firms, a news station allows these to run as if they are legitimate news stories.

Dear me. An investigation is evidence of wrongdoing. I didn’t know that. Was Sinclair found to have done something wrong? I have no idea, and won’t bother to look it up since it is obviously irrelevant. Does the same apply to ACORN?

Dan(Miller)

Clavos

Dan(Miller),

I am, of course, green with envy, as I too spent more than three glorious years as a cruising liveaboard myself, and would still be doing so, had not fate interfered.

But, ya plays the cards yer dealt…

http://blogcritics.org/writer/dan_miller Dan(Miller)

It is great to see that Joe the Plumber is being treated as an apostate, which he clearly deserves. How dare he malign — and allow himself to be the instrument of such things — against Senator Obama.

Dan(Miller)

Clavos

Uneffing believable how the lefties will spin.

Good citation, Dan(Miller).

Clav(os)

http://www.maskedmoviesnobs.com El Bicho

Everyone should be allowed to step up and question our leaders. It’s done not nearly enough for my tastes, but you might want to hold off on the ticker-tape parade for Joe the Plumber (although if he really doesn’t have a license, he needs a new nickname) if half the stuff I see flying around this guy sticks.

I can see why he would be concerned about paying more taxes, if really he has two liens against him already, but what his business makes and what his income would be are two different things. Too bad, Obama was caught off guard and didn’t know how to respond. Maybe McCain can run a “Who’s prepared at 3pm?” ad.

At his blog righty Martin Eisenstadt claims he’s the first to point out the Charles Keating connection, which means nothing, but will be look bad because it totally changes the discussion.

Cindy D

A. Clav,

I wasn’t lecturing Dan. I was simply making the paragraph understandable to any reader.

B. Dan,

An investigation is evidence of wrongdoing.

No.

Was Sinclair found to have done something wrong?

There is evidence that Sinclair did something wrong. The evidence is in video format and speaks for itself. They did not identify the VNRs. It seems unlikely that they VNRs were tampered with as Comcast has been fined already based on the CMD report. Sinclair and others have yet to be fined as the investigation is ongoing. The wheels of the bureaucracy grind along.

But, all this is academic since it doesn’t matter. And I agree. The other information I included is much more valuable in discrediting the slanderous news piece.

The video’s author discredits himself–something apparent when you visit his youtube page.

Cindy D

Dan,

Don’t you have any sources more reputable than Media Research Center affiliates? You’re hanging with some crowd.

CNSnews and newsbusters are owned by Media Research Center the source for news and heaps of praise by notable personalities as:

Jerry Falwell
Rush Limbaugh
Phyliss Schlafly
Newt Gingrich

Their stated mission is to correct what they see as left-wing media bias. Do they do this by presenting a balanced view? Presenting evidence to debunk what they see as bias? No. They literally print any tripe, I mean anything that has an ultra right-wing slant, as evidenced by their picking through two blogs to find some disgruntled bloggers and printing it as “news.”

Come on, it’s news to find couple of pissed off democrats?

I also understand CNSnews launched the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth attacks.

You know as well as I that ACORN has no way to know if registrations brought to them by canvassers are valid or not, and even if they did it would be illegal of ACORN to suppress any registrations given to them.

It is up to the state to validate offered registrations.

http://biggesttent.blogspot.com/ Silas Kain

God. It’s days like this when I long for the days of Richard Milhous Nixon.

At its national board meeting in New Orleans Friday, the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now will try to resolve whether two board members overstepped their authority by filing a lawsuit seeking access to financial records that might shed light on an embezzlement scandal involving the founder’s brother.

One of those board members, Karen Inman, called a news conference Thursday calling for greater transparency and accountability from an ACORN affiliate that Dale Rathke, brother of founder Wade Rathke, managed at the time he stole nearly $1 million by charging the nonprofit’s credit cards for items unrelated to his work.

Inman and another board member, Marcel Reid, filed suit in August seeking the disclosure of records kept by that affiliate, Citizens Consulting Inc. Both are members of an interim management committee that was established to set the nonprofit’s affairs in order after Wade Rathke was removed as ACORN’s chief organizer when the scandal became public over the summer.

But others who sit on the 51-member national board accused the pair of overstepping their authority and asked to have the suit dismissed. At the meeting Friday, the board will determine whether Inman and Reid should in fact represent the entire board in the pursuit of audits and other financial records. . . . After Inman spoke, a representative of the Louisiana ACORN chapter took the podium to defend Wade Rathke. Lanny Roy, the state chapter’s vice president, said the board members who wanted Rathke removed were new arrivals who did not understand his long record of social justice work.

“Wade Rathke has done nothing wrong,” Roy said. “They crucified him.”

So what’s the theft of one million dollars, and a cover up? It’s all for a good and just cause. Besides, the fraudulent voter registrations are meaningless and completely innocent; just social justice work, of which we should all be proud. Nothing here. Only Peanuts Acorns. Just move on.

Dan(Miller)

Cindy D

Dave,

You’re right! He doesn’t have two heads or anything (which sort of shocks me).

I wish I could ask him to point out where on the site MRC shows evidence “with statistics and social science means”. I’ve pretty much combed through there but, I can only stand so much, maybe I missed all the “scientific” type of evidence they present.

I think he’s right that you get hired as a journalist based on your world view generally being in line with reporting what is (my words) “acceptable.” Where we differ is that I don’t think he understands what real left actually is. When I start seeing people like Noam Chomsky regularly quoted in the MSM, then you can tell me that the media even fairly represents the left.

We are all good little capitalists here, the MSM included.

What was that thing he was saying about the economic disaster being a result of the MSM constantly telling people the economy is bad? Like wish fulfillment? And here I thought it was all ACORN’s fault!

http://handyfilm.blogspot.com handyguy

No one said invalid voter registrations are meaningless or innocent, just that they are being exaggerated into a conspiracy story that does not actually hold up if you read the details less selectively and without your ideological blinders on.

The embezzlement story has been widely reported for months and it has little or no direct bearing on the voter registration story. You may recall scandals involving the United Way and the Red Cross. They didn’t change the basic good the organizations did and still do.

Acorn does a lot of good work. Read about it, instead of just repeating echo-chamber half-truths and distortions.

Or don’t, and just keep spitting out cheap sarcasm. Make you feel better?

http://blogcritics.org/writer/dan_miller Dan(Miller)

Re comment #125,

Acorn does a lot of good work. Read about it, instead of just repeating echo-chamber half-truths and distortions.

Or don’t, and just keep spitting out cheap sarcasm. Make you feel better?

So what’s the theft of one million dollars, and a cover up? It’s all for a good and just cause. Besides, the fraudulent voter registrations are meaningless and completely innocent; just social justice work, of which we should all be proud.

No theft proven: it’s an allegation in a civil lawsuit.

No coverup: it’s all out in the open.

No fraudulent registrations by ACORN have been proven.

You know as well as I that ACORN has no way to know if registrations brought to them by canvassers are valid or not, and even if they did it would be illegal of ACORN to suppress any registrations given to them.

It is up to the state to validate offered registrations.

Dans repetitions of National Republican Committee slanders about ACORN threatens to cast him into the same category as Dave: a partisan whose willingness to repeat groundless rumors remorselessly makes him utterly unreliable and not worth reading.

Careful, Dan, lest you render yourself irrelevant.

http://blogcritics.org/writer/dan_miller Dan(Miller)

Bliffle,

According to the article linked in my Comment #123,

Although Dale Rathke stole the money more than eight years ago, his brother never revealed the theft to the board, instead setting up a schedule by which his brother could return the funds without a mess. Board members found out about the theft this year after a prominent ACORN donor questioned whether its donations had been misused, and many were furious that Wade Rathke family had kept them in the dark.

Perhaps if you had read the linked article, you would not have argued

No theft proven: it’s an allegation in a civil lawsuit.

No coverup: it’s all out in the open.

Unless the linked article is a a tissue of lies, which I have no basis to assume, there was in fact a cover up which persisted for almost eight years, and there was theft.

As to the registrations it is, of course, up to the States to verify registrations. The problem is that with the equivalent of a spam attack of Mickey Mouse registrations this late in the game, the process becomes difficult if not impossible. ACORN has responsibilities as well, including quality control and supervision of its employees. That seems to be lacking. If you were in the business of manufacturing widgets, would you simply reject the notion of quality control and take the position “buyer beware?” I don’t think so.

Dan(Miller)

http://handyfilm.blogspot.com handyguy

For those who have not yet heard, the Supreme Court has sided with Ohio state voting officials [currently Democrats] and against the GOP complaints that led to the possibility of over 200,000 newly registered voters having to go through extra hassles and possible disqualification.

Also, from the lead editorial in today’s NY Times, regarding Acorn:

…for all of the McCain campaign’s manufactured fury about vote theft (and similar claims from the Republican Party over the years) there is virtually no evidence — anywhere in the country, going back many elections — of people showing up at the polls and voting when they are not entitled to.

Meanwhile, Republicans aren’t saying anything about another more serious voter-registration scandal: the fact that about one-third of eligible voters are not registered. The racial gaps are significant and particularly disturbing.

According to a study by Project Vote, a voting-rights group, in 2006, 71 percent of eligible whites were registered, compared with 61 percent of blacks, 54 percent of Latinos and 49 percent of Asian-Americans.

Much of the blame for this lies with overly restrictive registration rules.

The answer is for government to do a better job of registering people to vote.

The real threats to the fabric of democracy are the unreasonable barriers that stand in the way of eligible voters casting ballots.

http://blogcritics.org/writer/dan_miller Dan(Miller)

Handyguy,

Actually, the Supreme Court in a per curiam opinion seems to have concluded that the Republican Party lacked standing. It declined to reach the merits of the case. I have been trying to find a copy of the opinion, thus far with no success. If and when I do, I shall try to figure out what, if anything, it means.

Dan(Miller)

http://handyfilm.blogspot.com handyguy

Ohio Republicans could be fairly described as deliberately subverting the intent of HAVA. Local officials were to use federal databases [e.g. Social Security] to speed up the process of registering, make it easier for people – not to find additional red-tape obstructions to keep them from registering.

Most of the 200,000 ‘problem’ registrations were actually problems with the federal databases – inaccurate spelling etc. This is being touted as a valid reason to question a registration – never the intention of the law.

In recent years, Republicans have repeatedly tried to put obstacles in the way of increased voter registration. Democrats have pushed for more people to register.

Read the figures of unregistered eligible voters cited in the Times editorial. Is it your preference that those people remain unregistered? Should every dotted-i and crossed-t become a reason to invalidate registrations?

I think we should all be able to agree that all eligible voters should be encouraged to register and it should be made simple and easy to do. Reasonable safeguards against fraud are fine, too. But not deliberate attempts to discourage registration or invalidate honest registrations.

This is not an issue that should divide so starkly by party. If our Republican friends would prefer that fewer poor and minority citizens vote, they should say so, instead of hiding behind specious arguments.

Clavos

If our Republican friends would prefer that fewer poor and minority citizens vote, they should say so, instead of hiding behind specious arguments.

Fair enough.

Especially if Democrats would admit that the underlying motivation for signing up “poor and minority citizens,” is not civic responsibility and selflessness in working to increase voter registrations, so much as it is a tactic to increase the number of Democratic voters.

Cindy D

I’m not a Democrat. But even so, I must say Clav, you have found us out.

MUAHHHAAAHAHA!

We who feel the poor and minorities should register are just using them to achieve our evil ends.

Like, um, well, increasing their income, their health and well-being, their general quality of life, and other evil stuff!!

http://handyfilm.blogspot.com handyguy

If the result of registering everyone who is eligible, and increasing turnout, is that more conservatives and Republicans get elected, so be it.

It’s the hypocrisy of the arguments that gets to me. Reminds me of another argument that illogically splits along ideological lines: global warming.

It should be possible, must be possible, is possible to remove the most obvious elements of self-interest from policy and agree on what is really fair. No?

But the first step is getting rid of echo-chamber, conspiracy-theory arguments that seem to always take the form: “They” are doing X to poor “Us.”

Clavos

Like, um, well, increasing their income, their health and well-being, their general quality of life, and other evil stuff!!

We were talking about registering them to vote. How does that do those marvelous things you describe above?

And how does keeping them on welfare subsistence payments, food stamps, AFDC and Medicaid (which is what actually happens, in spite of all the high flying rhetoric) “increase their income and general quality of life?”

Cindy D

Clav,

Edging the world toward more equanimity is one reason WHY I am voting Democrat in this election. So, of course, I want Democrats to register.

I talked to people to encourage them to vote Democrat in this coming election. Why the hell else would I be knocking on doors and calling on phones on behalf of my candidate of choice?

I am happy that anyone wants to vote and I encourage anyone voting. But, why shouldn’t I encourage the vote of people with whom I share a common goal/cause?

How is that not civic minded–when my entire vote is based on civic-mindedness?

I guess it isn’t the same reason you vote. Maybe you can’t understand that solidarity. It’s inseparable to me.

http://blogcritics.org/writer/dan_miller Dan(Miller)

Ummm Clav, you comment,

And how does keeping them on welfare subsistence payments, food stamps, AFDC and Medicaid (which is what actually happens, in spite of all the high flying rhetoric) “increase their income and general quality of life?”

But, you see, that is not the point. The purpose is to make our “liberal” friends feel good about themselves and each other. How could you be so cruel and heartless as to want to deny them this simple pleasure?

Dan(Miller)

http://www.roblogpolitics.blogspot.com RJ Elliott

“now we’ve implemented draconian legislation which means you have to be able to produce identification along with your voter’s card in order to vote.”

So, that’s your definition of “draconian” ???

If I had my way, you’d have to score at least 105 on an IQ test, and pass with at least an 80% on an exam about the US Constitution before you could vote.

If implemented, I suspect turnout would be about 10%, in present-day America … and the front runners would be Ron Paul and Ralph Nader …

Franco

#136 — Cindy D

your statements in your post #136 dose no answer Clavos’ question, which is a good one and I would like to hear your answer as well.

Here was his question….

“We were talking about registering them to vote. How does that do those marvelous things you describe above?”

And his question was in direct reponce to your following statement.

“Like, um, well, increasing their income, their health and well-being, their general quality of life, and other evil stuff!!

http://blogcritics.org/writer/dan_miller Dan(Miller)

Even CBS is becoming racist. Here is a link to an article entitled Obama Whopper on McCain Health Care Plan Who would have thought that the respected CBS organization would stoop so low as to publish such tripe. An article suggesting stating that Senator Obama lied? What’s the world coming to?

Dan(Miller)

http://handyfilm.blogspot.com handyguy

We were talking about registering them to vote. How does that do those marvelous things you describe above?

And how does keeping them on welfare subsistence payments, food stamps, AFDC and Medicaid (which is what actually happens, in spite of all the high flying rhetoric) “increase their income and general quality of life?”

If nasty cheap shots like this are all you can think of to say, maybe the discussion is not worth having after all.

But I will try:

Maybe, just maybe, it’s a condescending over-generalization to lump all low-income voters into a welfare-dependent state of mind with no ambition to have a better life for themselves or their kids. I believe that maybe, just maybe there are a few exceptions to that.

Voting is empowerment. It’s not everything, but it’s a step away from apathy and despair. People who have gotten the message from society that they are worthless need the encouragement to take that step. They don’t need people like you to talk them back down.

Shame on you for scraping the bottom with your rhetoric. Just six or seven months ago you were admiring Obama’s hopeful vision. Now this? Very sad, my friend.

Clavos

Just six or seven months ago you were admiring Obama’s hopeful vision.

Not quite, handy. Six or seven months ago, I was admiring obama’s presence, oratorical ability and apparent intelligence.

I still admire all those things, but now I also know that he will force people to give up some of what they earned and hand it to those who have not earned it. That idea is horrible to me; it is literally anathema. I deplore it. I realize that, at heart, Obama is quite left wing in a socialistic sense, and I don’t like it.

He has also announced he will raise corporate taxes. With the country in the throes of the most severe economic crisis in 80 years, raising ANY taxes is the absolute worst thing to do, but raising corporate taxes, driving even more corporations offshore, and making all of them less competitive in the global marketplace is sheer folly.

And, as you know, I’m not making this up. Obama has said himself, repeatedly, that that’s what he plans to do: “spread the wealth around.”

Forcibly.

http://www.roblogpolitics.blogspot.com RJ Elliott

Louis Farrakhan, the racist, anti-Semitic, and anti-American black nationalist Muslim, had this to say about Barack Hussein Obama:

Nation of Islam Minister Louis Farrakhan said that presidential candidate Barack Obama is the “hope of the entire world” that the U.S. will change for the better.

…

“A black man with a white mother became a savior to us,” he told the crowd of mostly followers. “A black man with a white mother could turn out to be one who can lift America from her fall.”

Did You Know? – Obama attended Farrakhan’s “Million Man March” in 1995. (No? What, are you depending on the NYT and MSNBC for your news? Jesus…just Google it…)

Cindy D

RE: #137

Clav comments and Dan (Miller) agrees,

And how does keeping them [my emphasis] on welfare subsistence payments, food stamps, AFDC and Medicaid (which is what actually happens, in spite of all the high flying rhetoric) “increase their income and general quality of life?”

Please defend your position with any facts at all. I’ve looked into welfare, etc. as late as December, 2007 and I find you are simply re-expressing a bias that isn’t supportable by facts.

Or carry on with your low-brow rhetoric, as you wish.

bliffle

RJ,

You seem to put a lot of confidence in Farrakhan. Are you a black muslim?

In the words of the esteemed John Kenneth Galbraith, “Politics is not the art of the possible. It consists in choosing between the disastrous and the unpalatable.”

Therefore, we might agree that I have a choice between one of two candidates. Unless you have any other ideas.

One seems to have a better understanding of the predicaments of those who are at the lowest income quintiles of society and the other is “just a middle class guy, who doesn’t know how many homes he owns.”

One has proven himself familiar with the plight of the poor by working as a community organizer and the other is a guy who’s net worth is estimated to be 35-100 million dollars yet says “rich is not defined by income” in his view.

Now to your question: How does registering people to vote (who are likely to vote Democrat) help them achieve higher pay, a better standard of living, etc.?

The Democratic candidate has a platform that expresses an understanding of their needs.

Is this some sort of trick question?

Clavos

Cindy #136,

Since “equanimity” means “evenness of mind,” as in “he looked on the world with equanimity,” I’m afraid I didn’t understand your comment at all.

You speak of your goal and civic-mindedness, but I’m unclear as to what your goal is, and why it’s pursuit is civic-minded.

In #144 you say:

Please defend your position with any facts at all. I’ve looked into welfare, etc. as late as December, 2007 and I find you are simply re-expressing a bias that isn’t supportable by facts.

I’m once again unable to understand your point. Are you saying there aren’t people in the underclass who spend their entire lives living on entitlements from the government? If so, what is your evidence to refute?

My original point, which I stand by, is that ACORN’s and other left wing organizations’ hidden goal for their ostensibly “civic-minded” and “selfless” zeal to enroll the poor and minorities as new voters is because they know that most poor and minority people will vote Democratic. Thus, recruiting them swells the Democratic voter rolls, and is, I contend, the real goal of ACORN, etc., not civic-mindedness and selflessness, as they would like us to believe.

It’s a political tactic, plain and simple.

Pablo

RjElliott post 138 you said:

“If I had my way, you would have to score at least 105 on an IQ test, and pass with at least an 80% on an exam about the US Constitution before you could vote.”

Uhh if we did that, YOU would not be able to vote dude. I unlike you, believe that humans regardless of ignorance (YOURS) have a basic human right to have a say in their government. Your just another typical right wing fascist.

jamminsue

Per this statement:
“In #144 you say:

Please defend your position with any facts at all. I’ve looked into welfare, etc. as late as December, 2007 and I find you are simply re-expressing a bias that isn’t supportable by facts.

I’m once again unable to understand your point. Are you saying there aren’t people in the underclass who spend their entire lives living on entitlements from the government? If so, what is your evidence to refute?”

You only get 5 years of TANF aid, then you are done, at least that is what it was awhile back, I have not checked in a few years. So if it still is this way, how can anyone be a lifelong welfare person?

bliffle

Clavos says:

He has also announced he will raise corporate taxes. With the country in the throes of the most severe economic crisis in 80 years, raising ANY taxes is the absolute worst thing to do, but raising corporate taxes, driving even more corporations offshore, and making all of them less competitive in the global marketplace is sheer folly.

This seems contradicted by the facts, which seem to indicate that 8 years of tax cuts have PRODUCED “the most severe economic crisis in 80 years”.

Clavos

This seems contradicted by the facts, which seem to indicate that 8 years of tax cuts have PRODUCED “the most severe economic crisis in 80 years”.

First, the tax cuts were for individuals, not corporations. In point of fact, the US has the second highest corporate tax rates among developed nations.

Second, it wasn’t the tax cuts that produced the current crisis, as you well know. It was a number of things (none of them tax cuts); it was, among other things, massive overspending by the Bush administration and the clowns in Congress.

Go ahead. Raise corporate taxes even more. Watch the exodus overseas of American corporations accelerate, watch prices go up to pay for the tax increase, watch unemployment increase as those corporations that stay are forced to cut back to offset those increased taxes.

Cindy D

RE # 149

Clav,

You’re right, I used the wrong word. Thanks for the correction. Substitute: equatability

(By the way, I am disappointed in you. You missed my hyphen in lowbrow. Perhaps you were letting that slip out of kindness.)

WELFARE: See #151 by jamminsue. on the 5 year limit.

But, even when the program was AFDC before it was changed to TANF in 1996, myths about welfare were more common than facts:

Myth: People on welfare are usually black, teenage mothers who stay on ten years at a time.Fact: Most welfare recipients are non-black, adult and on welfare less than two years at a time. (link)

The general public views poverty as the result of personal failures and deficiencies. This perception rests on several myths. Little attention is focused on societal factors such as inadequate education, transportation, child care, and mental health problems.

Myth: Poverty Results From a Lack of ResponsibilityFact: Poverty Results From Low Wages

Myth: People on Welfare Become Permanently Dependent on the SupportFact: Movement off Welfare Rolls Is Frequent
—

My goal: Advancing the well-being of the community. The whole community. In order to move toward a free society that works. That we may use our brilliant human talent to serve that society.

Friedman’s theories, which have had an extraordinary influence on the way we see capitalism, have proven themselves flawed. They have failed. We should have listened to Galbraith.

Attitudes won’t change any time soon. The herd is always far behind in seeing reality–and will prefer to chant it’s mantra despite all evidence and reason.

—

It’s a political tactic, plain and simple.

An organization that is focused on helping the poor, registers poor voters, not to help the poor, but to create a larger Democratic base which will help the poor, when a Democrat gets elected.

Okay Clav, sounds good, they’re just trying to register Democrats.

http://www.republicofdave.com DaveNalle

Cindy, the flaw in your reasoning is that Democrats have no interest in actually helping the poor. As years of Democrat programs have demonstrated their desire is to control the poor, keep them relatively poor and make them dependent on the Democratic party and the state for the programs and opportunities which are offered to them. Their goal is to direct them into low-paying service industry and government jobs where they will remain loyal and dependent on their masters for an eternity.

Dave

bliffle

As bad as the dems may be, as characterized by Dave, the neo-republicans have been even worse toward poor people. Witness the last 8 years.

Oh, except for the occasional exception (like when they drag some guy out of the shadows who started poor and now has a lot of money) to prop up their potemkin capitalism.

http://www.republicofdave.com DaveNalle

Bliffle, I’d argue that neglecting the poor and working class and just leaving them alone to sink or swim on their own is better than exploiting them for votes and keeping them in a poor and dependent condition.

Dave

Cindy D

Dave,

See my comment at # 148. The part about having two choices.

moon

Folks always assume that THEY will not be the ones negatively affected when the excrement hits the fan.

It might be time for my tasteless Jews in the one limousine in Berlin story, again….

RJ’s suggestion about applying an IQ test and a test on the Constitution might actually have some validity–perhaps not for voting, as nobody’s votes are really counted anyway–but for posting on sites like this one.

But then, maybe an MMPI would be better as a test instrument, as it identifies sociopaths.

Cindy D

Dave,

You ignore the facts, we’ve been not only neglecting the poor, we’ve been creating them.

Hard to swim while neocons are tossing you rocks.

http://www.roblogpolitics.blogspot.com RJ Elliott

Comment #150:

RjElliott [sic] post 138 you said:

“If I had my way, you would have to score at least 105 on an IQ test, and pass with at least an 80% on an exam about the US Constitution before you could vote.”

Uhh if we did that, YOU would not be able to vote dude. I unlike you, believe that humans regardless of ignorance (YOURS) have a basic human right to have a say in their government. Your [sic] just another typical right wing fascist.

Hispanic – 21.8% (somewhat higher than their percentage of the population)
White, non-Hispanic – 41.7% (significantly lower than their percentage of the population)
Non-White, non-Hispanic (primarily blacks) – 36.6% (vastly higher than their percentage of the population)

Female: 96.4% (vastly higher than their percentage in the population)
Male: 3.6% (vastly lower than their percentage in the population)

Age 18-25 – 30.5% (vastly higher than their percentage in the population)

Marital Status Never Married – 44.1% (vastly higher than their percentage in the population)

Education high school dropout – 40.7% (vastly higher than their percentage in the population)

[Please view the report for more relevant stats…]

So, while it’s true that “most” welfare recipients are not “teenage black women with a bunch of illegitimate children,” it is true that young unmarried black women with children are vastly more likely to be on welfare than pretty much any other demographic group in the country. At least, according to The Urban Institute, in 1999.